Paden and their group arrived at the inn before dinner. He went to his room and was followed by the girls. Leanna returned to her own room to freshen up to eat. The room of Weillin and Marie had its own sitting and dining space off their actual bedroom. Their group would gather there later to eat.

The twins were pestering Paden on what happened earlier with Mary and Bea. He of course told them nothing which only made them more curious. Paden saw this would go nowhere so he told them sternly to drop it. The twins saw Paden’s serious expression and so they listened. It was not often Paden was strict with them and they didn’t want him mad.

Paden meanwhile, comforted Mary and Bea. They were still slightly scared over what happened. Leanna had told them stories but they didn’t listen. What they saw made everything they were told all the more real to them.

An hour later, Leanna came knocking at Paden’s door. She took the girls to her room to get ready for dinner with Weillin and Marie. Paden saw them out and picked out the clothes Marie and Leanna bought him earlier. The clothes were a green, long sleeved shirt, black pants and vest. They were made of finer threads than he was used to and he felt nervous over the prospect of getting them dirty at dinner.

He met Leanna and the girls outside his room and walked with them to Weillin and Marie’s room. Paden had heard the room was large but its size made his scalp tingle. The room was outrageously big in his opinion. Their home in the village could easily fit in this room and still have space left over.

“Welcome,” Marie told their group vibrantly as they were let into the large sitting room.

Paden sat down as his sides were instantly claimed by the twins. A sullen Mary and Bea sat on the outside. Leanna and Marie laughed inwardly at the girls and Paden’s obliviousness. Leanna and Marie conversed while the children listened and quietly waited.

Servants later called for Marie and the group into the dining room. They went over and found Weillin already sitting down being served some soup. The rest sat and were served soup and some dinner rolls. The girls were disappointed as there was nothing visible in the soup. However, one taste made them change their minds.

“Delicious,” spoke all four after one taste.

Paden agreed. The soup had possessed nothing and appeared like a bowl of golden water. However, that plain appearance hid the flavor within. Paden savored every spoonful of soup. There was a look of loss on his face when he finished the last bit of soup. He had never tasted something so delicious in his life.

As they were finishing the second course was brought in by servants once again. Paden looked down at his plate in complete shock. He could not recognize the meat before him. He had hunted plenty in the forest and he was completely confused about his inability to analyze what was in front of him. He looked and saw similar looks on the girls’ and a look of disbelief on Leanna’s.

“The meat is from the wild thunderclap sheep,” Weillin informed Paden when he noticed his look.

Paden was shocked. The sheep Weillin spoke of was a species of sheep that had become a demonic beast. Since the incursion of demons into the world several animal species underwent various changes becoming demonic beasts. Many are inedible to humans but the few that are possess varying effects. Nobles who eat demonic beasts have higher life expectancies and the meat itself rots at a slower rate compared to normal meat.

Paden cut a piece of the sheep and put it in his mouth. The texture was indescribably different from other animals. The juices mixed with the various herbs and spices swum over his tongue. The soup paled in comparison to the main dish. He could feel that area in his chest began to warm and was confused. Did demonic beast meat have an effect on his magic, he wondered?

Leanna knew about demonic beast meat and she was surprised Weillin casually brought it out for their meal. Although her girls had never eaten it before, she once had some more than a decade ago. She smiled inwardly as she toyed with the idea to tell Axel. She knew the man would be jealous of their fortune. Ever since he had some in the army, he had spent days trying to find some demonic beasts even though they never migrated near their village.

“I heard about the events earlier today,” spoke Weillin as they finished their meal and were conversing. “I have to remind you not to leave the sight of your guards when we visit any towns.” The twins looked confused about the subject but Mary and Bea hung their heads down.

“Don’t worry they won’t be going out into the towns anytime soon. I’ll be telling their father about today. They will stay with him at the wagon next time,” spoke Leanna sternly.

The two girls looked sullen. They berated themselves for ditching their guards. They should have listened. Now that they would not get to shop in the next town, they were regretful.

“That reminds me,” spoke Marie. “The servants bought some books from some local shops. With this, we can begin to test your reading skills. There were some magic books amongst the lot as well. Mostly basic information the kingdom allows to be distributed to commoners but a start nonetheless.”

Paden listened with slight interest. While reading wasn’t a passion of his, that was more an effect of having nothing to read. He was curious about magic. His father was the Dark Knight. He wondered how powerful he could be. Would he gain the fame that his father had earned?

Dinner over Leanna and the two returned to their room. Paden returned with the twins. They changed and Paden once again told the two stories of faraway lands, noble princes, and evil men before sleeping. He was once again in between the two who used his arms once again as pillows.

The next morning they gathered early for breakfast. The meal was not demon beast meat to Paden’s disappointment. He had grown a fondness for the burning sensation and taste the meat gave him. He was determined to find a way to hunt the beasts in the future.

Finished with breakfast Paden left for the lobby. Leanna and the other girls were helping with packing their things from the day they spent shopping. Weillin and Marie had just come down from their room when an individual walked in with several guards in mail. Paden noticed the man scanned the building as he signaled his men. Someone went over and out came a nervous looking proprietor.

“I’m looking for a young man and two girls,” spoke the man pompously.

This piqued Paden’s interest as he re-examined the man. He had brown hair and was in his forties. He wore expensive clothing that covered his plump stomach. Paden felt something familiar about the man but could not put his finger on it.

A shout from outside got his attention. The voice sounded familiar to Paden as well but he couldn’t seem to place it. The doors opened as the arrogant youth from yesterday walked in. He took one look at Paden and pointed at him.

“Father! This is him. This is the bastard that stabbed and tried to murder me. If not for my guards he would have killed me,” cried the youth shamelessly.

Silence fell in the lobby as all eyes fell on Paden who was dumbfounded at the youth’s claim. He tried to murder the youth? There were witnesses yesterday. How could he speak such lies openly, wondered Paden?

“Seize him!” ordered the youth’s father.

Several guards of the man moved to secure Paden. Weillin waved his hand and eight guards encircled Paden with their swords drawn. The act surprised the father. Weapons were usually secured by the town guard. The people who could carry weapons within a town were limited and restricted. He looked at Weillin and Marie curiously.

“What relation is that young man to you,” asked the man with a crooked smile.

“It is of no business of yours,” spoke Marie coolly. Her words surprised Paden who only knew his aunt to be kind.

“The boy tried to murder my son. I am afraid I have to insist. As it stands, the boy is a criminal,” spoke the man. He could have his cousin help out. It was the reason he paid the man.

“Paden, the child is?” inquired his aunt coolly.

“Tried to take Mary and Bea by force. I knocked him out and he tried to kill me,” replied Paden not hiding his contempt for the youth.

“I see,” spoke Marie slowly as she walked forward. Weillin knew what was coming but he couldn’t stop her. He would have a lot to clean up. “However, it seems you made a mistake.”

The father and son were giddy. They thought she was capitulating. They were so wrong. So very wrong.

“If someone like him does something like that you do not wound him,” spoke Marie as a black haze surrounded her arm. The faces on the two twisted in fear. The woman before them was a mage. “Next time this happens and he tries to kill you, kill them,” she taught her naïve nephew. Her family was high nobility. There are few aside from the royal family she would not offend.

The words shocked the father and son duo and alarmed their guards. However, they could not stop the haze from becoming a snake. It launched off Marie’s arms, coiled its way to, then up the youth and finally down his throat. The boy turned black as his body fell limp. It turned to ash and a sudden gust of wind blew it away until nothing was left.

The father saw this and grew enraged. He thought he could overpower and kill her. He would deal with the consequences later. His cousin would help him as he was the lord. However, Marie already felt his bloodlust. A second snake had already coiled and killed the man before he gave his order.

The guards looked dumbfounded at their boss’s death. They ran out in a panic and retreated to the town lord who sent guards to the arrest the couple. Weillin showed them some papers and those guards grew white as they apologized hastily. All the men cursed inwardly at the ignorance of their lord and his cousin.

Make enemies of two duke families? Weillin himself was a lower baron who would succeed his father as duke. The two they killed were rich, but still commoners. No one would bat an eye to their deaths. They were pissed when they learned later that the woman was a mage and were not informed.

Paden watched the unfolding events in shock. His aunt so casually killed two people. He hated them but not enough to kill. Stranger still was when the guards came. They immediately backed off when they learned Weillin was a noble. So this is the difference between nobles and commoners, Paden reflected. They could kill and commoners were too weak to resist. The thought filled him with sadness.

Marie told Leanna and Axel what happened when they met up later. Leanna made sure to tell Mary and Bea. Their actions risked themselves and even Paden was dragged in. They would remember to act more cautiously and remember they were no longer in the small village where they were ruled by a kind lord.

Paden thought deeply that night in camp. The magic he saw left a deep impression on him. He contemplated on his aunt’s words. The world he lived in was one where people kill for the slightest of offenses. He let someone go who brought back more trouble. He slowly felt his thoughts changing. Maybe he should have killed the youth as soon as he made an attempt on his life.